


Communication

by Noisesandvoices



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Miscommunication, but no matter how much i try to rewrite it, nothing comes to me, so yall are just gonna have to deal with it, this isnt great!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 16:33:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13528218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noisesandvoices/pseuds/Noisesandvoices
Summary: Sonny had given up on Barba months ago.Okay, so that wasn’t quite true. Or at least it wasn’t the right phrasing. Because Sonny would never give up on Barba, even if everyone else did.Sonny had given up on dating Barba months ago.





	Communication

Sonny had given up on Barba months ago.

Okay, so that wasn’t quite true. Or at least it wasn’t the right phrasing. Because Sonny would never give up on Barba, even if everyone else did.

Sonny had given up on  _ dating _ Barba months ago.

He had spent far too long trying to get closer to him in any way he could—volunteering to run files and paperwork, jumping to do the grunt work in cases that he knew the ADA would be glad was dealt with, asking to shadow him far past the point of helping him pass the Bar. He had dug himself into a hole long before he realized his mistake. What Sonny had seen as trying to get in Barba’s good graces by spending time with him, everyone else had seen as Sonny sucking up and being his normal, overeager and overachieving self. Implementing phase two of what Sonny had intended to be a three-phase plan (one, spend more time with Barba at work and get on his good side; two, spend more time with Barba outside of work and flirt with him; three, stop being a chicken and  _ ask him out already _ ) would make no sense. It would feel unearned and would come out of left field.

So Sonny would have to settle for living in the hole that carrying out phase one had left behind and be relegated to admiring Barba from across his desk, touching only when he graced Sonny with a hand on his shoulder or fingers grazing his own when he passed him a file. He would take and memorize the occasional, gentle glances Barba sent his way during a rough case or in a rare moment when Barba admits that Sonny is right.

Which is why Sonny jumps at even the mention of having dinner together. It’s another late night spent in Barba’s office, eyelids heavy as they pour through case law, praying for something to save their asses, when Barba makes the suggestion. Forcing the words through a yawn and a small, tired grin, he says, “Hungry, detective?” Immediately, Sonny is reaching for his phone, ready to order takeout, but he’s stopped by Barba shaking his head, standing, and pulling his jacket on as he says, “I need to stretch my legs. Let’s just go grab something.” 

It’s new territory. Dinner is never just a Sonny-and-Barba event—it always involves the entire squad, and it never involves the two of them sharing an Uber, and it  _ certainly _ never involves the two of them alone, tucked into a corner at a table that’s too small and too intimate and almost too much. 

Until now, when Barba asks him about his opinion on the case. Asks him what he thinks of the opening statement he has written in his head. And once again Sonny is savouring the little interactions between them, of Barba meeting his eyes, speaking in a low voice, passion and righteous anger seeping into his voice, trying to keep the awe out of his own voice when Barba smirks at him and challenges, “What do you think?”

The entire night is spent like this, with Barba making Sonny’s heart race and Sonny trying not to get too excited over small moments. 

Small moments like Barba leaning across the table and wiping a bit of food away from the corner of his lip with his thumb, rolling his eyes playfully as he does. 

Like the two of them getting up to leave and Barba grabbing his coat and holding it out for him to slip his arms into before Sonny can grab it himself. 

Like Barba offering to walk him to his apartment before calling for a ride. Sonny not being pushed away when he lets their shoulders brush together as they walk.

Like the soft “Mhm”s and “That’s right”s he gets as he rattles off about a case that caught his attention in class.

The little moments are enough to make Sonny’s heart soar with hope.

He’s so caught up talking animatedly to Barba that he doesn’t realize they’ve made it back to his apartment when it happens. He’s still talking about the case, mid-sentence, ranting about something he only really knows half of (but it sounds impressive and that’s the important part) when he feels fingertips on his jaw line and a quiet voice saying, “Sonny”. When he finally looks down, he finds himself face to face with soft eyes and a smirk. He’s trying not to breath, trying not to disrupt the fingertips gliding a path over his skin, sliding across his jawline to rest on the back of his neck. He can feel himself leaning forward towards Barba, his hands itching to touch him. It’s not until he’s close enough to feel Barba’s breath on his lips that he finds his voice again. 

“Barba.”

Barba rolls his eyes, the smirk still on his face as he softly corrects, “ _ Rafael. _ ”

Sonny can’t help the smile that starts to creep onto his face as he mumbles, “Rafael,” and anything he was going to say is forgotten when Barba—no,  _ Rafael _ —closes the distance between them. He can’t focus on anything besides the feel of his lips against his own, can’t help the small noise that escapes him when Rafael pulls him in closer, his hand pulling at the back of his neck and Sonny’s own hands responding to rise up and grab onto his hips, fingers digging in slightly as Rafael pulls away, lips still brushing against his as he whispers reverently, “ _ Sonny _ . Was that okay?”

Sonny can’t open his eyes, still stuck memorizing the feel of Rafael against him, and he blames it on the wine he had at dinner when he replies, “Was this a date?”

“Excuse me?” 

And suddenly Rafael is pulling away from him and Sonny can’t help the noise of protest that escapes his throat and he pulls Rafael closer with a small tug of his hips, whispering, “Wait—”

But Rafael only pulls away again, moving Sonny’s hands away with his own, shaking his head, the soft smile on his face replaced with a frown and his eyes looking anywhere but Sonny’s face. 

“Clearly I’ve misunderstood, I don’t know,  _ something _ . I’m sorry.” 

“Rafael, I—”

“I thought we felt the same, I get I was wrong, I won’t hold this against you, I hope you’ll do that same.”

“Rafael, listen to m—”

“I promise to keep things professional between us at w—” 

“Listen to me, oh my god!”

He finally brings himself to meet Sonny’s eyes. Fear, sadness, and rejection are etched into his own, and Sonny forgets the explanation he had on his tongue in favor of surging forward and kissing the doubt out of Rafael, taking the gasp of surprise he lets out as an opportunity to deepen the kiss, feeling how he finally relaxes against him, returning the kiss, moaning softly against his lips.

It takes him longer than he would have liked to admit, but Sonny finally manages to pull away, dropping small kisses before he places his hands on Rafael’s cheeks, laughing softly as he says, “You just had to say ‘Yes, this was a date’.” 

“Well, excuse me for thinking that was obvious.”

“You also just had to say, ‘Sonny, would you like to go on a date with me’.” 

“It was implied! I mean, come on, you’re a detective.”

“And you’re a mess.”

That comment is met with raised eyebrows and a smirk as Rafael says softly, humor underlying his words, “That really sounds like the words of a man who doesn’t want a second date.”

Sonny only laughs before closing the distance again, feeling Rafael smile against his lips.

“I would love a second date.”

“Hmm.”

“Just tell me it’s a date next time.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a dumb one shot I wrote, left it in my drafts for too long, not really happy with it but here it goes.  
> Much love to lawyerboyfriends who beta'd and made it actually readable  
> I promise I'll write something that isn't just a fluffy one shot at some point  
> xoxo  
> kudos and comments appreciated


End file.
